Virtual Debt Relief Clinic - The TBA YLD hosted a virtual debt relief clinic in partnership with Legal Aid of East Tennessee, TALS, the Knoxville Bar Association, the AOC’s Access to Justice Initiative and Federal Bankruptcy Judge Suzanne Bauknight. The clinic took place virtually on March 13 and was open to residents of East Tennessee. Low-income debtors met with attorney volunteers on Zoom and received advice regarding bankruptcy and other debt collection matters. If bankruptcy was needed, the attorney volunteers agreed to take the case pro bono. The clinic had a strong showing, with 15 Tennessee attorneys volunteering their time. Law students taking a bankruptcy class at LMU also attended the clinic and sat in on the advice sessions. The YLD is working on planning another debt clinic this summer and hopes to expand the clinic across the state.

Tennessee Faith & Justice Alliance Clinic – The Tennessee Faith & Justice Alliance is a project of the Tennessee Access to Justice Commission. In the Knoxville area, the program is coordinated by the Knoxville Bar Association’s Access to Justice Committee, Legal Aid of East Tennessee and the University of Tennessee College of Law. In recognition of Pro Bono Month, a telephone clinic is planned for April 13, 14 and 15. Please sign up online to volunteer.

Virtual Breakfast of Champions - The Breakfast of Champions is the signature fundraising, networking and mission awareness event that brings together Tennessee’s legal community and business leaders in support of Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands.  This year’s event is hosted by News Channel 5 Anchor Jennifer Kraus, with Olympic Gold Medalist Scott Hamilton as guest speaker for the 2021 event! You can register here.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will conduct two phone clinics this week for members of the public with questions about housing and renters’ rights, bankruptcy, medical bills, debt collection, domestic violence, SNAP benefits and unemployment benefits. Clinics will take place Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. CDT. LAS is looking for attorney volunteers to help answer legal questions during these clinics. To volunteer for a clinic, contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek or call 615-780-7131. See the list of clinics for all of March. 

Tennessee Faith & Justice Alliance Clinic – The Tennessee Faith & Justice Alliance is a project of the Tennessee Access to Justice Commission. In the Knoxville area, the program is coordinated by the Knoxville Bar Association’s Access to Justice Committee, Legal Aid of East Tennessee and the University of Tennessee College of Law. In recognition of Pro Bono Month, a telephone clinic is planned for April 13, 14 and 15. Please sign up online to volunteer.

Here are some podcasts picks from Nashville Attorney Anthony Adewumi. He works at BMI, a music publishing, licensing and royalty company.

1.    ALL THE SMOKE: ALL THE SMOKE pairs two of the most outspoken and controversial NBA players of their time. Known as fiery, intense competitors during their on-court careers, Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson are now two of the most widely respected voices by today’s crop of basketball stars. 

2.    I AM Athlete:  The I AM Athlete podcast is candid, unscripted weekly discussion between former NFL greats: Brandon Marshall, Chad Johnson, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder. 

3.    The Breakfast Club: The World’s Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, features DJ Envy, Angela Yee And Charlamagne Tha God!

On March 10, LAW hosted a Morning Check In and One-Hour CLE credit on "First Amendment Basics and Legal Observer Training," rescheduled from January. The presenters, Stella Yarborough and Tom Castelli of the ACLU-TN, will cover the law surrounding the freedom of speech and assembly, including how these constitutional rights may be regulated and what actions may violate those rights. They will then describe the role of legal observers and what issues they may encounter.

On March 23, LAW will host its Monthly Membership Meeting and CLE. More information about this CLE and other events can be found at: https://www.law-nashville.org/events.

LAW invites all members to save the date for its Annual Banquet and 40th Anniversary Celebration on April 22 at 5 p.m. CST.

The YLD Long Range Planning Committee has proposed an update to the division's bylaws that would extend the term of membership in the Young Lawyers Division from five years of practice to 10 years of practice. It would keep the age limit of less than 36 years the same. The change would allow both traditional and nontraditional lawyers (e.g., those joining the legal profession as a second career) to remain in the YLD an extra five years. This change mirrors a change recently made by the ABA YLD to its bylaws. The new language in Article III, Sections 1 and 2 reads as follows: Every attorney who has been admitted to practice law by the Tennessee Supreme Court, who is a member in good standing of the Tennessee Bar Association, and who is under 36 years of age or who, regardless of age, has been admitted to practice in any state for ten (10) years of less is automatically a member of the Division. View the full YLD Bylaws with the proposed revisions.

The YLD Board will hold its next virtual board meeting on March 20 at 2 p.m. central. The meeting will include voting on this bylaws change. Once approved, the language will go to the TBA Board of Governors for final approval. Questions about the revised language should be directed to YLD President, Terica Smith.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands (LAS) will hold one phone clinic this week for members of the public with questions about housing and renters’ rights, bankruptcy, medical bills, debt collection, domestic violence, SNAP benefits and unemployment benefits. The clinic will take place tomorrow from 4:30 to 6 p.m. CDT.  LAS is looking for attorney volunteers to help answer legal questions during these times. To volunteer contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek or call 615-780-7131. See the list of all clinics in February. 

The Young Lawyers Division is planning a fully virtual TN Free Legal Answers clinic with Vanderbilt Law students on Feb. 24. The clinic will take place from noon-1 p.m. Five to eight volunteer attorneys are needed.

Attorneys will be paired with law students in Zoom breakout rooms to answer questions submitted to TN Free Legal Answers. You will be able to select which questions you want to answer based on your practice area. Each volunteer would need to pre-register on TN.FreeLegalAnswers.org, but otherwise no advance work or experience is needed. This will be a great way to connect with law students and help those in need.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands (LAS) will hold two phone clinics this week for members of the public with questions about housing and renters’ rights, bankruptcy, medical bills, debt collection, domestic violence, SNAP benefits and unemployment benefits. Clinics will take place on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Saturday from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. All times central.  LAS is looking for attorney volunteers to help answer legal questions during these times. To volunteer contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek or call 615-780-7131. See the list of all clinics in February. 

Veterans Legal Advice Clinic - Please mark your calendars to volunteer at the upcoming Veterans Legal Advice Clinic on March 10. The Veterans Legal Advice Clinic is a general advice and referral clinic that serves 20-30 veterans in the community with a wide variety of legal issues each month. Volunteers are needed between noon and 2 p.m. Clinics take place at the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office, located at 1101 Liberty St., Knoxville 37919. Please sign up online.